Muotathal (with an h) is the main village in the Muotatal, the valley of the river Muota in the canton of Schwyz. As the road to Muotathal is not an Alpine pass road, the valley is protected from mass tourism.

Apart from a beautiful church, a pretty chapel and a few large flower-filled chalets, the village is not particularly picturesque, but the valley is beautiful and offers many hiking opportunities.

Just a few kilometres from the village, you can even discover one of the longest and most famous caves in the world, the Hölloch, which is 200 km long but has only been explored for about 100 km.

Of course, such an excursion can only be made with the help of experienced cavers, but there are many other less adventurous places around the valley.

Illgau is a small, attractive village on a sunny plateau at an altitude of 807m (about 200m above Ried, at the bottom of the valley), sheltered from the wind and ideal for lovers of beautiful scenery. It can be reached by road, but a small cable car also takes you up from Ried.

Perched between the Fronalpstock peak and the Urnersee (the southern branch of Lake Lucerne), the village of Morschach, at 643m above sea level, is well known for family holidays and hiking. It is not actually in the Muotathal, but a small cable car connects it to the real star of the valley, the car-free village of Stoos.

Stoos lies above the lower end of the Muotatal and to get there most visitors choose to take the extraordinary funicular railway which reaches a record steepness of 110%. A unique experience in the world!

Useful links

Swiss Canton of Schwyz (iSwitzerland Guide) - Wikipedia